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This paper seeks to explore whether the Western concept of servant leadership holds the same meaning in the public sector of the cross‐cultural context of China and to identify whether there is an alternative term in the Chinese language that closely relates to the concept of servant leadership

An inductive approach is adopted based on critical incident technique, using an open‐ended survey to collect the data.

It was found that the concept of servant leadership holds parallel meaning in China to that of the West and that the Chinese concept of servant leadership can be described precisely as public servant leadership in the public sector and servant leadership in the non‐public sector. When asked to characterize Chinese servant leadership in the public sector, the study respondents consider six types of servant leadership similar to the West but also three types of Chinese extended servant leadership.

The paper is a first attempt to examine servant leadership in the public sector in China. It not only reports various forms of Chinese servant leadership orientation, but also compares and contrasts various servant leadership forms between China and the West, highlighting research gaps for future research within the context of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the West.

The purpose of this paper is to make clear how managers in Western organizations can understand the Japanese and Korean cultural value system and interpret the strategic decision‐making process that exists within organizations exhibiting a collectivist culture.

A literature review was undertaken and several studies, either jointly or separately undertaken by the authors, were drawn upon in order to provide depth to the analysis and interpretation.

Although there are similarities between Japanese and Korean people, there are a number of distinct differences between them. These differences have come about as a result of Buddhism and Confucianism being adopted at different points in each country's history, and the fact that these countries have developed their own unique cultural value system. The differences manifest in organizational characteristics, which provide Japanese and Korean organizations with a specific identity, management model and way of doing business. What is evident, however, is that managers in both Japanese and Korean organizations are familiar with the relationship marketing concept and actively embrace the strategic marketing approach.

Undertaking research into national cultural value systems and organizational cultural value systems is complex and requires an interdisciplinary approach. It can also be suggested that more emphasis needs to be placed on undertaking research of this kind in both Japan and Korea. Furthermore, it is advocated that a longitudinal study is undertaken in order to provide both evidence of how organizational cultural value systems within a collectivist culture change through time, and how cultural traits influence the decision‐making process.

Managers in Western organizations will be able to relate to the value systems of Japanese and Korean organizations and as a consequence, will understand how long‐term trustworthy relationships are developed. This should facilitate the negotiation of business deals and result in business partnerships being developed that are based on mutuality.

The interdisciplinary approach adopted allowed the authors to view culture from several perspectives and to link more firmly national cultural value systems with organizational cultural value systems, and with organizational identity. By adopting this research strategy, the authors were able to explain how organizational identity is influenced by and reinforced by the concept of strategic marketing.

Leadership theories that inform business education have largely been rooted in Western conceptions of leadership. The purpose of this paper is to report on research that seeks to uncover and reflect on how leadership wisdoms originating beyond the Western world can support the radical transformation of global business education toward a more responsible and sustainable template. It argues that indigenous and Eastern ideologies will be needed if we are to change educational mindsets and challenge the obsolete model of Western business school education.

In total, 45 in‐depth interviews with leaders from indigenous and non‐Western cultures were conducted in order to gain deep insights into how their leadership identities, values and behaviours have been shaped by their societies and the oral wisdoms in their cultures. The author also draws on interviews and observations of 26 executives participating in a class of the International Masters Programme in Practicing Management. The findings from each study were combined to propose how these might challenge and inform a future business school curricula that challenge its orthodoxy of “shareholder value above all else”.

The research identified a number of embedded leadership wisdoms currently overlooked in the current model of business education. Based within a deep‐rooted ethic of responsibility, conviction, stewardship and sustainability and reflecting a cosmopolitan mindset, the critical knowledge and values embedded in indigenous communities, transmitted orally across many generations, provides a challenge to Western business schools to embed the knowledge found within those societies and communities toward a more sustainable response to the crisis of our planet. Responsibility, humanity, benevolence, trusteeship, contribution, honesty and conviction are some of the core “wisdoms” uncovered in the research that can inform and frame a radical rethink of the norms of business school curricula.

The current model of business education preserves the status quo of twenty‐first century capitalism. As globalisation advances, leaders appear to be powerless to act against a dominant ideology that reveres shareholder value above all else. The research builds on De Woot's critique of the shareholder value paradigm to suggest that a new form of business education based on leadership wisdoms in indigenous and oral cultures, and ancient texts has much to contribute to radical mindset change in business education.

The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the evolution of Chinese business ethics over time and how it impacts business. While much research attention has been directed toward China and its various industries, the Chinese diamond industry has been largely neglected. This industry is the second in size and fastest growing globally. It is interesting to examine its evolution over time and how external factors affect the firms’ business ethics behavior.

Exploratory field work involving the interview of major players was undertaken, complemented by extensive desk work, was used to create a base for future in-depth research of the secretive Chinese diamond industry.

A paradox was identified in the Chinese diamond industry, namely, that while Chinese businesses tend to follow a relational governance model, China’s diamond industry tends to use rational mechanisms of governance and exchange, a paradox that is explained by mitigating factors.

Future studies should use a quantitative questionnaire with a larger set of Chinese diamond firms to further examine the paradox found. Future studies could also examine whether the transformation from a system based on social networks to a system based on market forces as found in the Chinese diamond industry is an indicator of an ethical and business evolution of the whole Chinese industry. This may illustrate the rationalization of the Chinese economy and its progression toward Western models of exchange as it further opens up to the West.

This paper is a pioneering work on the business ethics and strategy implemented by firms in the Chinese diamond industry.

The purpose of this paper is to show how Tai Chi (or T’ai Chi ch’uan) philosophy might be used in global project development. Collected case studies support a Tai Chi-based framework for global project teams to reduce stress and improve decision making through exercises, storytelling, and martial arts practices. The authors first proposed a model or procedural framework based on experiential knowledge from practicing Tai Chi while managing projects.

Analyzing case studies from knowledge managers, project managers, and executive leaders, the researchers collected data on applying the framework from a retrospective case study and from two observational case studies during project development. Tai Chi-based communications and exercises were shown to support critical thinking, knowledge sharing, and problem solving. The proposed framework and four-step procedure build on a global perspective to cultural awareness, creativity, and motivation as well as specific Tai Chi-based tactics, techniques, and operations for knowledge management. This preliminary study looks at improving collaboration in a competitive environment while supporting health, wellness, and work-life enjoyment.

Early research results suggest that teams and individuals working on projects and practicing Tai Chi might develop more cohesive strategies and improve soft skills during their integration of Eastern and Western philosophies.

Used case studies methodology, which provided examples of using Tai Chi during projects. Qualitative data used to develop the proposed framework. Also, interviews and discussion reviews conducted for additional validation collected on framework.

It is a pioneering, preliminary study. Future research with outcomes-based data from project managers using Tai Chi recommended.

The integration of Eastern and Western philosophies into a framework for team project and knowledge management was shown to support cohesive strategies, improve soft skills, and strengthen decision making.

The reform and opening up have triggered a “revival” of religious belief in rural China. The purpose of this paper is to explain why rural residents are increasingly becoming religious, by analysing the inherent relationship between their risks and religious choice, and conducts a preliminary investigation of the common characteristics of rural believers and the determinants of their religious choice.

The authors applied a logit model to test the determinants of rural residents’ religious choice. The authors used sample survey data collected in 2008 from the rural area of Songxian County, Henan Province.

The results suggest that age, sex, political status, health risks, and social security have a significant effect on rural residents’ religious choice. On this basis, the authors have discussed the inherent logic of “disease-related religious practice”. From these results, the paper points out that lack of basic public services such as medical care due to the government’s withdrawal from these fields has increased the health risks of rural residents, triggering a “revival” of religious belief in rural China.

This paper has improved on previous research in two ways. First, it analyses the relationship between health risk and religious choice, shedding light on the underlying causes of the religious revival in rural China. Second, the methodology involves an analysis of household survey data, thus filling the gap created by less-rigorous quantitative analysis in rural China-based religious research.

This paper aims to inquire and argue for a renovated model of Confucian political leadership as a way of political governance rooted in a philosophy of humanity and its potential for development.

The paper is primarily critical and constructive through philosophical analysis and synthesis of ideas and insights into nature of man and political leadership in light of Confucian texts and practices.

Based on reflection and analysis, the classical model of political leadership is shown to consist of core values of virtues and visions in classical Confucianism. By conceptual reconstruction a new Confucian model is formulated in such a way in which ethics of utilities and ethics of justice and righteousness are incorporated. The author further shows how it can be realized in different functions of modernized political and economic leadership. The author finds that this move resulted in achieving an essential transformation toward a more realistic application and practice in a global world.

In so far as the new model deals with a process of normative harmonization in which it can be further enhanced by comprehensive considerations of intrinsic human values and future development of humanity as a whole, this model provides a practical method for meeting the urgent needs on different levels of leadership and management for creative and world‐oriented attitude‐building, policy‐making and strategic seminar‐course designing for graduate and executive training in contemporary business schools.

The author has innovatively constructed the new Confucian model and show how political leadership in this model has the capability and ability to persevere in seeking harmony and harmonization among traditions and nations in the global world. The author has also explained how and why morality when properly supported can be a global leading power for bringing harmony and harmonization to the world. The author has formed a new concept of political leadership force and named it the moral power in addition to but not separated in its persuasion from hard power, soft power and smart power of Joseph Nye. The author's formulation and argument for the new model with its moral power constitute a highly significant contribution to the understanding of Confucian political leadership in contemporary global contexts.